The Rogue’s Lexicon: NYC Slang in the 1850s

In my web series and subsequent novel The Watchmage of Old New York, the characters often use the colloquialisms of the time. I did extensive research in order to make things as authentic as possible. Below are some of my favorite terms from the mid 19th century.

Some of these terms come from books at the time (especially Whitman and Melville), and reference books like Gotham, Dictionary of Americanisms, Low Life, and Gangs of New York helped, but most come from The Rogue’s Lexicon, by George W. Matsell. Matsell was the first police commissioner of New York City. After being forced out of office after the New York City Police Riot (look for a future article on that), he wrote a comprehensive book on common colloquialisms of the time.

Many of these terms appear in Watchmage…, usually spoken by Jonas Hood (a Municipal Policeman and son of Nathaniel, the city’s Watchmage) and his associates. If you read it and didn’t know what some of the characters were saying, you’ll probably find it here.

Like History? Like Fantasy? Check out my latest novel, The Watchmage of Old New York. It’s been compared to everything from The Dresden Files to Gangs of New York to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Don’t take my word for it (ok, take my word for it), pick it up at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and/or all the other sites out there. You might even find it in a local bookstore.

Ankle: The mother of a child born out of wedlock. A “Broken Leg” is a woman with a bastard child.To “get ankled” is to get pregnant out of wedlock.

Anointing: A beating. Either from needing to be “anointed” with a salve, or “anointed in blood.”

Barking-Iron, or Barker: A pistol.

Bellows: The lungs or diaphragm. Bellowser, a blow in the ” wind,” or pit of the stomach, taking one’s breath away.

Bellows to Mend: A person out of breath. A boxer is said to be “bellows to mend” when winded.

Bingo: Liquor. (puts a new spin on the old kid’s song, doesn’t it?)

Blinker: A blackened eye, or just an eye.

Blue: gin. Sometimes “Sky Blue.” “Blue Ruin” is bad gin.

Bone Box. The mouth. “Shut your bone box;” shut your mouth.

Bread bag: the stomach

Bully Trap. A strong fighter that looks weak.

Bunch Of Fives. The fist.

Bunkum: Nonsense, or humbug.

Cat: A prostitute. A Cathouse is a brothel

Cat-heads. A woman’s breasts. This is a nautical term, referring to the twin figureheads near the prow of a ship. They support beams that help raise the anchor. Because there are two and near the front, sailors naturally associated them with breasts.

Crab. To throw a wrench into something (as we might say), by saying any thing offensive or unpleasant, is called crabbing it, or throwing a crab; to crab a person, is to use such offensive language or behavior to annoy him.

Cross: Dishonest

Cross-cove: thief

Croak: to kill or die

Cupboard Love. Feigned love for the cook to get the cooking.

Cupid’s Curse: A venereal disease. Also “Venus’ Curse.”

Cut. To renounce acquaintance with any one is to cut him. To insult.

Darby: Cash

Dash-fire. Vigor, manliness.

DAUNCY: Looking unwell.

Devil’s Books: Playing Cards

Dry up: shut up

Fimble-Famble. A poor excuse.

Fizzing. First-rate, very good, excellent.

Flay: to vomit

Floorer. A strike strong enough to knock someone down. Often used in reference to sudden and unpleasant news.

Goo Goo: a rookie cop

Goosecap: a fool. A pudding head.

Gullyfluff. Junk. Literally, the waste that imperceptibly in pockets, like lint.

Half-mourning. To have a black eye from a blow. As distinguished from ” whole-mourning,” two black eyes.

Heavy Wet. Malt liquor

Hobbadehoy. Not a boy, but not yet a man.

Hogmagundy. Sex

Honor Bright. I swear. Literally, “by my honour, which is bright and unsullied.” It is often still further curtailed to “honor!” only.

Hooker: A prostitute. While a well-known term today, this originally comes from Corlear’s Hook in Manhattan, an area known for prostitution.

Horizontal Refreshment: Sex, usually with a prostitute.

How’s Your Poor Feet! An idiotic street cry with no meaning. Like “What’s up” or “how’s it going,” but with less sense and more obnoxiousness.

Hugger-mugger. Underhand, sneaking. Also, “in a state of Hugger- Mugger” means to be muddled.

Jack: cash

Limpsey: Limp and flaccid, often used in reference to someone just before they faint.

Month of Sundays. a long time.

Muckender. A pocket handkerchief,

Nose-ender. A straight blow delivered to the nose.

Nose in the Manger. To put one’s nose in the manger, to sit down to eat. To “put on the nose-bag” is to eat hurriedly, or to eat while continuing at work.

Off One’s Chump. To be crazy. ; this is varied by the word CHUMPY.

O.K.: Even more common today, it comes from “Oll Kerect,” or possibly from the Choctaw word “okeh,” a general affirmative.

Sneeze-lurker. A thief who throws snuff (or powder, pepper, etc) in a person’s face, and then robs him. This was actually pretty common.

Sneezer. A handkerchief.

Snotter, or Wipe-hauler. A pickpocket who steals gentlemen’s pocket-handkerchiefs.

Sober-water. soda-water.

Squeaker: a child.

Swadder, used to mean “to grow weary with drinking.”

Tail Down. “To get the Tail Down,” generally means to lose courage. Comes from a dog putting his tail between his legs.

To Break a Leg: To seduce a girl. See “ankled,” and “broken leg,” above.

Wattles: The ears.

Zwodder: “a drowsy state of body or mind.” It’s probably related to another word, swadder, used to mean “to grow weary with drinking.

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